Masahiro Tanaka is showing his old form that made him one of the most coveted free agents last year, but the New York Yankees took another blow in their preparation for the upcoming season as Jacoby Ellsbury suffered an injury.
Tanaka, who signed a seven-year deal worth $155 million with the Yankees last year, showed no signs of elbow issues on Wednesday night when he led the Yankees to a 12-5 win over the Atlanta Braves.
The Japanese pitcher, who was limited to 20 starts last season after sustaining a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, recorded three strikeouts and did not allow the Braves to score in his 3 2/3 innings on the mound.
Tanaka, who also retired six batters he faced when he made his spring debut against the Braves last week, was pleased with the way he performed, but denied that he is trying to prove his doubters wrong with his performances in his first two games this spring.
"I just wanted to look and see how everything was working, how everything was coming out of my hand. I think it was all good," said Tanaka, who went 13-5 last season with a 2.77 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 20 starts last season.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi also liked what he saw from the 26-year-old pitcher, saying that Tanaka has been throwing well since spring training started.
"I'm pleased with the way he's throwing," Girardi said of Tanaka via MLB.com. "Since Day 1 of Spring Training, we've been happy with what we've seen. He appears to be healthy, he's throwing the ball, so just keep running him out there and keep building him up."
However, the Yankees just could not get a break as reports indicated that center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury might not be fit to play in their season opener.
Ellsbury was ruled out on Tuesday due to a quad strain, but an MRI revealed on Wednesday that the 31-year-old suffered an oblique injury that will force him to stay away from any baseball-related activities for at least a week.
Depending on how the rehabilitation will go, Ellsbury might be on sidelines for up to six weeks, but Girardi reiterated that he will not yet push the panic button and will just take a look at the situation next week once Ellsbury is reevaluated by team doctors.
"I'm not too concerned about it because it's really mild, but this is the time that we can protect him a little bit. We don't have to rush him back," Girardi told reporters. "We'll give him six or seven days and then see where he's at. There'll be plenty of time."
